Needle in the Haystack
by Nikolai-Tesla
Summary: "It would be far more dangerous to leave my new abilities untested. If I don't completely understand what I am capable of, there could be serious consequences, not only for myself, but for countless others."
1. Chapter 1

Hello, there! This story is another of my little experiments, dedicated to the great Nikola Tesla and all the lovely folks at the Sanctuary. I have great plans for this one though it is, at the moment, a simple oneshot. I'd greatly appreciate your reviews because, if I get the sense that people are enjoying the story, I'll post much, much more! Thanks for reading! :D

* * *

_"If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search.  
I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor."_

_**-Nikola Tesla**_

* * *

"Come now, Helen, let's be reasonable." Nikola Tesla was pacing the Sanctuary study, gesticulating wildly, looking not unlike a particularly manic caged tiger. Helen Magnus watched from her seat on the couch, eyebrow raised in a gesture of slightly entertained bemusement.

"Nikola, you've proven yourself to be many things in the past, but 'reasonable' is rarely one of them."

Nikola stopped his pacing, eyeing Helen critically with a look that suggested intellectual superiority. "It's perfectly logical. I have formulated a hypothesis and now need to test it."

"I am familiar with the scientific method, Nikola," Helen interjected. "I will admit that you are a technical genius, but your grasp of the English language is decidedly more questionable. 'Dangerous' and 'logical' are _not_ synonymous, whatever you might think!" Looking entirely nonplussed, Nikola began to scribble feverishly on a piece of yellowing paper.

Helen knew that Nikola intended to conduct a series of electromagnetic experiments, in _her_ lab and on _her _time. The simplest ones would involve Nikola physically touching different magnetic materials. The most complicated ones involved Tesla running an electrical current through his body and attempting to reach out telekinetically to the subatomic particles of the materials. Helen wondered if Nikola would have the stamina or the control to complete his proposed experiments.

"Perhaps you could start with an experiment that is a bit less… reckless," Helen continued. "Now that you're most likely mortal again, you can't afford this type of careless behavior."

"Helen, I'm a scientist. I am _not_ a child."

"Your actions seem to indicate the contrary!"

Nikola heaved a dramatic sigh, deciding to appeal to Helen's humanitarian instincts. He spoke with the measured tones of someone explaining something to a child, or an imbecile. "It would be far more dangerous to leave my new abilities untested. If I don't completely understand what I am capable of, there could be serious consequences, not only for myself, but for countless others."

"Nikola, I understand your desire to explain every aspect of your physiology but…" she trailed off as Nikola shot her a look that stopped her in her tracks. It was a look she had only seen once before, so many years ago when they were all but children. It was a look of sheer desperation. Nikola did not only want to know about his new abilities, he _needed_ to know with every fiber of his being.

Helen knew that, as a scientist, the man was not fond of unanswered questions, but she could not, in good conscience, allow him to put himself- and quite possibly her Sanctuary- in danger.

So she continued, "What you're proposing is ludicrous! You're talking about subatomic manipulation! You have no idea how your body will react to the stress nor how the metal will hold up when you jeopardize its structural integrity."

"Oh, Helen, don't be such a wet blanket," the scientist griped. "You've seen how metal reacts to me now; I'll hardly need to charge the particles at all. And I'd thank you to remember that I've been dealing with electromagnetism for over one hundred and fifty years."

While he sensed that Helen was still uncomfortable with the idea of him turning himself into a supercharged electric current, Nikola could tell that Helen was as curious about his powers as he was. She had, after all, spent the better part of a week locked up in her laboratory, attempting to create a way to Re-vamp Nikola. When it had seemed hopeless, Nikola had practically stumbled upon a realization that would change the course of his life. Now he knew he was magnetic, but the question was, just how much?

Whatever part of Helen that still thought of Nikola as an insolent, impetuous jackass, a bigger part of her felt a strong positive connection to the Serbian scientist. She loved the man- in a strange way that was unclear to her- but she was undeniably, inexplicably bound to him. She was reluctant to let him do something potentially life threatening, but she couldn't deny him the chance to learn more about himself. At the moment, curiosity about his new condition was the only thing keeping Nikola sane.

Sensing Helen's hesitance to let him proceed with his experiments, he pushed further. "I'll even sign a waiver if it will make you feel better. And I'll only need the use of your lab for a short time."

Sighing, Helen slowly nodded her head. "All right. But Nikola…"

"Yes?"

Helen watched the joy in Nikola's eyes. They twinkled with the same mischievous glint she had seen many times before in Nikola's lab at Oxford. She hesitated for a moment and, after a long pause whispered, "Be careful."

Nikola flashed her a cocky grin and retreated to the depths of the Sanctuary to begin his experiments and to reclaim his life.


	2. Chapter 2

As Helen Magnus strode purposefully through the halls of the Sanctuary, she was surprised to hear the outdated intercom system crackle to life. Henry had recently tinkered with its wiring, but everyone had grown accustomed to life without it. Henry typically used a walkie for communication within the building, and Will would often arrive at her side, panting and slightly out of breath, to give her his news.

So, when the disembodied voice of Nikola Tesla flooded breathlessly into the passageway, Helen took specific notice. The message conveyed was also of particular interest: "Helen, I suggest you come see this. Today we're making history."

Helen took off at a brisk walk towards the laboratory where Nikola was conducting his experiments… on himself.

The rough crackle of the speakers had masked the hoarseness of Nikola's voice, and Helen was not prepared to see him strapped into a medical chair, teeth clenched, eyes closed, and face flickering with thinly veiled pain. He had an IV drip in his left arm and had rigged up what looked like a primitive electric chair, wires sparking with electricity around him.

Helen let out a small gasp and froze in the doorway, hesitant and horrified at the sight before her. At the sound, Nikola opened his eyes and rolled his head to look at her with a slight, smug smile.

"Oh, Nikola," she whispered, walking over to the chair. She tentatively reached out a hand as if to stroke his cheek but quickly changed track to fastidiously straighten his headrest instead.

Nikola, no stranger to pain, just continued to glance at her. "Surely you understand sacrificing personal comfort in the name of knowledge, Helen," he ground out through clenched teeth.

Helen very nearly rolled her eyes as he winced, his expression clearly belying the forced understatement of his words.

"Would you care to explain what you're doing here, Nikola? Other than torturing yourself, of course."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, his look of amusement falling slightly short as he struggled to bite back a groan. "I would hardly call this torture. I've conducted far more dangerous experiments."

At Helen's skeptical look, he scoffed slightly and began to explain.

"I've hooked up an iron IV drip and am running a low amperage electric current through my body to see how my cells will react. Do me a favor: take a blood sample and take a look at it under the electron microscope." He gestured with his head. "I'd do it myself but…" he grinned wickedly, his wrists straining at the leather straps which bound him to the chair.

Helen nodded, reaching into a drawer behind her and pulling out a syringe. She returned to his side and drew his blood in the calm, determined manner of a seasoned medical professional. As she bent over, she glanced up into his face, gauging his expression. His eyes were closed again, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead and a muscle twitching along his tightly clenched jaw, but he showed no indication that her ministrations were contributing to his discomfort.

Helen added his blood to a slide and slipped in under the microscope. As she squinted at the magnified image, her brow furrowed and she let out a low "hmmmm." Nikola, his interest piqued, opened his eyes and glanced over at Helen beside him. She looked up slightly distractedly, speaking as if to herself.

"It's like your cells have been… _supercharged_. Which, in a way, I suppose they have. They're moving at an extraordinarily rapid rate. I'm not entirely sure what the implications are."

Nikola's mouth twisted into a lopsided smile. "I have a theory," he said, voice raw with barely restrained excitement. "Help me up?"

Helen loosened the buckles binding his wrists and ankles, reaching out to catch his arm when he nearly fell. He looked weak and pale from the pain of his self-inflicted tests, but he shrugged off her hand as he straightened proudly.

"Ready to alert the press?" he joked, holding out a hand in front of him, palm facing outward. Helen merely stared bemusedly, hands on her hips.

At first it seemed as if nothing was happening. Then, ever so slowly, a metal tray on the far counter began to twitch. Nikola's eyes shone as the tray rose up off the counter and smoothly floated across the room and into his outstretched hand.

Nikola's eyebrows shot up and then furrowed into a look of extreme determination. He held the tray vertically at chest level as a dozen syringes and scalpels flew up off the shelves and turned themselves to point at him.

Helen gasped as the implements suddenly soared through the air toward Nikola. It was a testament to her willpower that she was able to keep her eyes from slamming shut as she prepared to watch the tools impale the scientist.

Her brain seemed to be lagging as she heard the stiff _thump_ before her mind registered what her eyes had seen.

Nikola Tesla stood before her, beaming toothily as he held out the metal tray, the surgical implements embedded in a perfect circle.

"Well," he said breathlessly, "that was different."

Helen had seen many incredible things in her in her lifetime but this was still a shock. She stood, gaping in amazement at her friend.

"You're a telekinetic weapons arsenal," she whispered in awe.

Nikola's face grew serious and his eyes widened as he looked at her earnestly. "You may want to keep me around for a while, Helen. This could get interesting."


	3. Chapter 3

"Would you stop that?" Nikola hissed in annoyance, loudly setting down a pair of tweezers with a clang. He had spent the last three hours staring at a complex mechanism under a microscope and the level of concentration required was starting to give him a headache. The fact that Henry was sitting nearby, tossing what seemed to be an endless supply of paperclips at his chest certainly wasn't helping.

Henry gave him what he must have supposed was an innocent smile but what came off as a very mischievous grin. "Dude, you're freakin' magnetic! You expect me to just let that slide?"

Nikola looked nonplussed, meticulously picking paperclips off his dress shirt. "Are you intentionally missing the point, or are you really that shortsighted? With this power, I once again have the ability to change the world. It is _not_ a toy."

"Come on, man, lighten up!" Henry goaded. "You're too serious all the time."

"And you're not serious enough!" Nikola snapped, face flushing.

When Henry beamed at him he forced himself to calm down, realizing that the man had just been trying to get a rise out of him. He ignored Henry and went back to fiddling under the microscope.

"So, break this down for me again," Henry said after a long length of silence, trying to alleviate his boredom. "Magnus said you were working on a weapon, but we've already got a ton of those around here." He gestured around the weapons lab to prove his point.

Henry knew he had said the right thing when Nikola's eyes lit up. The scientist looked so innocent and childlike in that moment that Henry almost laughed, amazed at the sudden transformation in the normally aloof man.

Nikola didn't look up from his work but the feverish passion in his eyes was evident, as well as the nearly loving caress of his fingers as he held the pieces of his weapon. He spoke quietly, almost reverentially, as if the lab were some kind of sacred temple.

"This weapon," he said, "well, _tool_, really, is the perfect synthesis of current technology and my new ability. When it's completed, it will fire projectiles with increased speed and accuracy."

Henry looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What, like, a hand gun? I hate to break it to you, but that weapon's already been invented. Like, five hundred years ago."

"Six hundred and thirty five, actually," Nikola sniped arrogantly. "And this isn't just any _gun_. With my ability, I'll be able to influence the speed, torque, and path of the bullets. I can essentially decide if a shot is deadly or not and who will take the hit, even after the bullet is fired." His eyes flicked up to meet Henry's as his hands picked up their frenzied pace. "Can you imagine the implications? No friendly fire, no wasted ammunition. It will be revolutionary."

Henry gaped, then frowned. "But, if you can control metal, why do you need a gun?"

Nikola looked momentarily frustrated but continued working. "For the time being, I can only _attract_ metallic objects, not project them, a hindrance I plan to remedy as soon as possible. This gun sends the bullets in the right direction at an ideal speed. From there, I can influence their more minor movements."

Henry looked nearly as excited as Nikola. "Seriously? Dude, that's awesome! Way cooler than the whole 'vampire' thing."

Nikola's head snapped up and he nearly dropped the weapon. "_Careful_," he growled at the other man, once again mourning the loss of his vampiric powers.

The air filled with a strange humming, the metallic objects in the room starting to tremble and shake. As Nikola forced down his anger and sorrow, the shuddering stopped and the objects fell still again. Henry looked suitably admonished.

"Copy that," he said, wincing. "Don't upset the angry magnetic scientist."

At Henry's comment, Nikola visibly relaxed, forcing a tense smile- or grimace, as it were- and willing his hands to stop their slight shaking as he carefully finished the weapon.

"There," he said confidently, loading a round into the gun.

Henry let out a low, long whistle. "She's a beauty." As an afterthought, "Can I hold her?"

Nikola merely raised an eyebrow, a gesture Henry correctly interpreted to mean '_not-on-your-life_.'

"All right, man." Henry held up his hands defensively. "Take it easy. I was just askin'."

Nikola continued to ignore him as he stroked the gun lovingly, admiring it. It was slightly larger than a pistol and exceedingly more complicated, with a much longer barrel. There were coils running from the grip to the barrel, designed to conduct Nikola's magnetism into the bullet as it was fired out of the chamber. It was covered with conduits which shone and caught the light dramatically whenever he turned it over in his hand. It was one of the most beautiful things Nikola had ever seen.

On the whole, Nikola had never had much use for guns. For as long as he could remember, he had used his vampiric abilities to defend himself. Who needed a gun when you were invincible? He could take a few bullets _and_ fry the enemy without a second thought.

You didn't live as long as he had without learning something about the weapons, though.

"If you want to be of use, pick that up," he said to Henry, fluttering his free hand towards a thick sheet of metal propped against a wall of the lab.

"Sure thing," Henry agreed, reaching for it. "Where do you want it?"

"Just hold on to it for the time being."

Henry looked slightly confused but did as he was told. It was only when Nikola raised the gun in front of him that Henry figured out what was about to happen.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He nervously backed away, metal sheet in front of his chest. "I never agreed to be part of your little experiment. Shouldn't I, I dunno, sign a waiver or something?"

Nikola merely grinned lopsidedly, counted to three, and fired the weapon.

Though Henry squeezed his eyes tightly shut, to his credit, he didn't back down.

The bullet was travelling quickly towards his chest when suddenly it leapt upward, making a direct path for his forehead. Henry opened his eyes and was about to duck when, all of a sudden, time appeared to slow down.

As he blinked and took another step backward, he realized that time hadn't slowed at all, rather, the bullet had. Just as he began to seriously think, for the thousandth time, that he had _really_ picked the wrong career path, the bullet came to a halt and clattered to the floor.

Henry sighed in relief as he heard a noise of disbelief from somewhere behind him.

"Nikola!" Helen blustered from the doorway. She had arrived just in time for the little show.

Henry, not eager to be a part of another of their spats, quietly snuck out the door and retreated down the hallway. As he walked, grinning, he could hear the distinct sounds of their quarrel drifting along behind him.

"Of all the stupid, _irresponsible_…"

"Relax, Helen, I knew it would work."

"Relax? What would you have done if it hadn't?"

"Well… I guess I would have had to find you a new pet."


	4. Chapter 4

The tiny, distorted amber furniture in the champagne flute sparkled and winked as the miniscule air particles bubbles to the surface. It was fascinating, really, to watch the liquid ripple minutely from the vibrations of footsteps in the corridor outside the study. Or maybe he, the great Nikola Tesla, was just drunk.

After spending nearly three hours- which, incidentally, translated to roughly five glasses of champagne- nursing the bottle of 1876 Cristal on the soft leather couch, he just _might_ be willing to admit that his perception was a bit skewed.

It was a strange, unfamiliar sensation, this intoxication. Alcohol might have affected him more than he had been willing to admit, but he hadn't truly been _drunk_ for well… ever. It was a feeling he could get used to. He ran his tingling tongue over the tips of his slightly pointed teeth and let his head list slightly to the left in response to a tap at the door.

Helen breezed in and settled on the couch beside him, sighing slightly and briefly rubbing her forehead. Nikola cocked an eyebrow at her and silently held out a glass.

"I'm working, Nikola," she breathed, not unkindly, looking more than a little weary.

"You're always working," Nikola pouted, rolling his eyes more forcefully than was necessary. No, not pouted. Geniuses do _not_ pout.

"I just received a communication regarding reports of a very endangered Abnormal in the eastern Himalayas. It would be remiss of me to ignore an opportunity to preserve the species by bringing it back here to live."

Nikola's ears perked up as he envisioned an opportunity to test out his new ability- and his new accoutrements- on the field, as it were. "Is it dangerous?" he asked, barely managing to keep the hopeful tone out of his voice to avoid Helen's suspicion.  
"Not very," Helen answered crisply. She was slightly apprehensive of his sudden interest. "The creature- a Tikimit, not too unlike a North American porcupine- is normally quite peaceful. They only attack when their safety or the safety of their offspring is directly jeopardized."

At this revelation Nikola looked slightly disappointed but still determined, squaring his shoulders slightly.

Helen noticed.

"Nikola, you're not coming. We'll have to take the chopper up to the site and there's only room for two. Will is far more experienced in these matters; he will be accompanying me."

Nikola opened his mouth to protest but Helen cut him off. "This is not up for debate. You're particularly vulnerable now that your vampiric abilities are gone."

His head, which had started to droop slightly from the weight of an alcohol-induced haze, snapped up sharply at that.

"I am _not_ vulnerable," he spat, sounding, to his ears, a bit more petulant than he intended. "Besides, you said yourself that it isn't dangerous."

"Even so…"

"Helen, my new abilities could be useful." He was grasping at straws, but it sounded reasonable to him. "And if I don't come, I'll make it my mission to drink all of the wine in your cellar. Again."

She rolled her eyes at his childish tactics but, after a pause, acquiesced.

"Fine. But don't say I never do anything for you."

* * *

The mountains were colder than Nikola expected and he drew his overcoat tighter around his body before following after Helen. He felt the weight of his newly perfected weapon, oddly comforted by the cool solidity of the object. He was slightly distressed by his mental reliance on the gun, a byproduct of his new vulnerability, despite his protestations to the contrary to Helen.

He had been unwillingly thrust into a new situation and he had no idea how to behave. An important part of him had been ripped away and replaced with something else, a fact he was still trying to reconcile. He felt, perhaps unnecessarily, that it was something he would struggle with for the rest of his life.

He kept his face impassive but glanced over at Helen to see if she had sensed his hesitation. Judging by the steely look in her eyes and the determined set of her jaw, it would not have made much of a difference to her if he was there or not. She was on a mission.

Nikola thought it best not to interrupt her concentration so he walked on in silence, taking the time to examine the scenery around him.

It was really quite beautiful and serene in the mountains, untainted by the harsh influence of humans, all evidence of the noisy, messy, even _destructive_ human hand completely absent.

The entire area was absolutely silent; even the sound of their breathing was muffled by the cold air and the blanket of snow covering everything. The complete silence was finally broken by a slight rustle followed by a small series of chirps. Helen frowned as she noticed a small snowbird flitting around a tiny egg which had, no doubt, fallen out of a nest.

Nikola- always more comfortable with the nonjudgmental influence of animals- was inexorably drawn to the egg, kneeling and delicately plucking it out of the snow before cradling it in his warm hands. He cupped it gently, carefully wrapping his long fingers around it until he could place it safely back in the nest.

Helen smiled contentedly at the small display of respect for animal life, thinking back to the Nikola she knew- an impossibly long time before- who would stand out in the Oxford courtyard, hand outstretched, eyes sparkling, as he lovingly stroked the glossy head of a nearby pigeon.

Nikola, as if just noticing Helen's existence, flicked his eyes towards her, expression clearly daring her to comment.

Helen's smile gradually faded, though her eyes still shone with pleasure- and was that _pride_?- as she nodded her head in the direction they had been travelling.

"We should keep moving," she whispered reverentially, as if afraid to disrupt the peaceful sanctity of the nature around her.

* * *

Sometime after- Nikola had lost track of the time somewhere along the way- they spied a quick glimpse of movement across the path ahead. Nikola glanced at Helen who held a finger to her lips and mouthed, "Come on."

They picked up the pace, snow crunching lightly under their boots as they tracked the Tikimit. It was easy to follow its trail, the path it took standing out starkly in the crisp, unblemished snow.

As they approached the creature froze, and Nikola was able to get a proper look at it as it stood in a clearing.

The Tikimit was about the size of a large tomcat, though it clearly lacked feline agility and grace. It reminded Nikola of a porcupine crossed with an armadillo, moving with the same sort of lumbering solidity on short, robust legs. Bursts of light gleamed, catching on long metallic quills that were flattened along its back and sides. Ears perked up on the sides of its head as it peered cautiously at them through beady black eyes over a long snout.

Helen approached it in a non-threatening manner with her hands open and free of weapons. She always carried a tranquilizer gun, just in case she ran into trouble with an unwilling Abnormal, but she always hoped to avoid having to use it.

Nikola's own hand strayed to the pocket that contained his weapon, slightly ashamed at his mental sigh of relief as his fingers wrapped around the cool metal. What was it about mortality that made him feel so vulnerable and weak?

He hadn't meant to expose the gun to the sunlight, had never _really_ intended to use it at all. He loathed the idea of having to rely on a tool to defend himself, but since he was newly human, he had to be prepared.

Nevertheless, he was _not_ prepared for the sharp flash of light that burst around the clearing as he withdrew his hand from his pocket. The gun- stupid human device that it was- had gotten stuck on his sleeve and its gleaming handle had escaped the confines of his pocket.

He winced as the Tikimit's eyes widened in fear as it sensed a potential threat. Its metal quills shot up sharply, its natural defense mechanism suddenly activated.

"Nikola," Helen whispered lowly, her tone clearly warning. "Don't move." She was physically closer to the creature and therefore more at risk of injury, but it was Nikola she was worried about. He was mortal, after all.

Nikola tried to remain still and silent, he really did, but his cursed _human_ instincts proved too much for him again as a small noise of fear sprang from his throat.

At the sound, the creature tensed and stiffened, and Helen knew what would happen next.

She prepared herself for the burst of pain she would feel when the Tikimit attacked its nearest target… her. But it never came.

She saw, as if in slow motion, the sharp, dangerous quills leave the creature's body, making straight for her. Her eyes narrowed in bemusement as the projectiles appeared to arc away from her, but she assumed it was just a trick of the light. She was shocked when they whizzed past her, displaced air brushing coolly against her skin.

She whipped around, her jaw tightening as she saw the expression on Nikola's face. His eyes met hers, looking almost pleading and apologetic, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed heavily.

She heard herself call his name in time with the muffled _thunk _as he reeled a step backward, his face pale and panicked, the thick eight-inch quills firmly embedding themselves directly in his shoulder.

For a moment he stood perfectly still, a shocked expression on his face until, suddenly, he dropped to the snowy ground.


	5. Chapter 5

"Nikola!" Helen cried out as she ran to her fallen friend, gripping his uninjured shoulder to steady him as he tried to sit up. A quick grimace of pain flitted across his face before he could hide it, clenching his jaw to avoid letting out a groan.

Helen's medical training kicked in as she rapidly appraised his condition. In the short time it had taken her to hurry to his side he had paled considerably, beads of sweat standing out on his bloodless face. His skin was clammy and she could feel him trembling beneath her hand. His eyes, glassy and unfocused, tracked across her face uneasily before snapping shut.

Helen put a hand on either side of his face, fighting to keep her voice level. "Nikola," she said again, quieter this time. "Look at me. Come on, open your eyes. I'm worried you're going into shock."

It took much too much effort for him to pry his eyes open, much less keep them that way, but they had a job to do. Their quarry had gotten away. "I'm fine," he said, sounding much more convincing than he felt.

"You're not fine," Helen insisted, her tone vaguely clinical. "Your skin is too cold, you're shaking, and you're clearly having trouble focusing."

Nikola scoffed, knowing sarcasm was the only way to snap Helen out of doctor-mode. "Of course I'm cold," he said haughtily. "We're in the snow, in case you hadn't noticed."

A stifled sigh and an eye roll from Helen. "Nikola, now is not the time to be stubborn. Your health is at stake."

"I'm _fine_, Helen," he repeated, forcing his uncooperative limbs to move. He bit back another groan, levering himself up with his right arm as he held the injured left stiff and close to his body.

Helen's eyes narrowed suspiciously as Nikola wavered and turned a shade paler than the snow, but he remained on his feet and his eyes were open, so she refrained from commenting.

"Which way did it go?" Nikola asked, returning attention to the creature and thereby diverting it from his injuries.

Helen gaped at him. "Nikola, you have a piece of metal embedded in your shoulder. You can't possibly be expecting to track and catch the Tikimit now. And I hardly think I can be expected to do so if I'm trying to keep you conscious at the same time."

But it was too late. Nikola, jaw set, had already made up his mind; he had chosen a direction, heading slowly- yet determinately- out of the clearing. "Are you coming or not?" he called over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn around."

"All right, fine," she ground out. "We'll do it your way. But, Nikola?"

"…What?"

"You're going the wrong way."

* * *

For the fourth time in ten minutes, Nikola stumbled. Helen had been watching him like a hawk since they had started walking again. She glanced at his right hand which was pressed against the growing bloodstain on his left shoulder, resting just below the metal quill projecting from his body. She caught his eyes and noticed the pain and exhaustion reflected in them. She opened her mouth to suggest a rest but he cut her off with a quick shake of his head.

He was panting with the exertion of navigating over the snow-covered, rocky terrain. He hadn't said a word since they resumed their hunt, and Helen wasn't sure if that was because he was trying to stay strong for her or simply because he didn't have the energy to spare.

A few minutes later, Nikola's heavy foot caught on another rock and he went down again. This time, he didn't get up. Helen's breath caught and she ran over to him, kneeling down by his side. His eyes were shut and his breathing came in short gasps.

She pressed her fingers to his throat, searching for a pulse. "Too fast," she whispered to herself, knowing he couldn't hear her. She tapped his face lightly and, when he didn't respond to her touch, she tapped harder.

"Nikola, you have to wake up." He stirred and groaned softly, but his eyes remained shut. "That's it," she encouraged. "I need you to open your eyes for me now."

His eyes fluttered before opening a slit.

"Good, Nikola. Are you with me now?"

Nikola nodded jerkily but kept his mouth shut. His lack of sarcastic response made up Helen's mind for her.

"Nikola, we've got to find somewhere warm to rest and bandage your shoulder. You're losing too much blood."

His eyes opened wider and she saw past the pain to a kind of sadness, even anguish.

"Don't blame yourself," she scolded, though there was a distinct sense of gentleness behind her words. "There will be other opportunities to catch the Tikimit. You sacrificed yourself to help me; now let me help you."

Nikola rolled his eyes but relented, letting her support him and pull his good arm over her shoulders as she searched for shelter from the cold.

* * *

Time had further lost all meaning, hours seeming like minutes and the minutes dragging on endlessly, unnecessarily, distorting Nikola's already tenuous grip on reality. If he had had more strength, he would probably have been mortified and disgusted by his predicament. He hated being weak, and there was nothing weaker than a mortal who was barely able to stand up on his own.

He, in a rare moment of vulnerability, had put all his trust in Helen. He was trusting her to keep him upright and walking in the right direction, trusting her to lead him to safety.

As he staggered along, struggling to keep his eyes from sliding shut, he vaguely felt himself start to list to the left. For a tense moment, his fevered brain thought Helen had decided to stop helping him, to leave him lying there in the snow, but her hand was still firmly grasping his waist and he could almost hear her whispering soothingly to him. And then he saw it.

In his semi-conscious state, he hadn't noticed that Helen had been steering him towards something he never thought he'd be so happy to see. Helen had found it! She had found them a cave.

Nikola let out a shuddering sigh, speaking more of pain than of relief, but he forced himself to focus on the last few steps into the looming maw of the cave. Helen noticed his sigh and gripped him tighter, her knuckles taut with tension.

She supported him as his numb feet struggled over the rough stone at the threshold of the cave. They slowly and laboriously made their way to a warmer location.

Nikola hissed through his teeth as Helen came to a sudden stop. Her face was deeply apologetic as she took him firmly- but gently- by the shoulders and looked into his glazed eyes, shining too brightly in his sickly pale face.

"I'm so sorry, Nikola," she whispered. "I have to pull the quill out of your shoulder, and it's going to hurt."

His eyes slid drunkenly across her face until they met hers. Behind the pain and shock of the injury there, she saw a glimmer of something else- determination- and she smiled.

That smile was all it took; a wall slammed up somewhere in his brain and the pain in his eyes was gone, replaced by a clear, steely resolve as he nodded his head.

"Right ," Helen said, Nikola's determination washing over and strengthening her. "I'm going to help you sit down near this wall, but don't lean back until I get the quill out of your shoulder. And don't fight passing out while I work."

She eased him down to the floor of the cave and took a small pack off of her back- her emergency medical kit- and rummaged through it. She had found the kit to be a necessity with her accident-prone team.

"Helen," she heard Nikola rasp and she looked up quickly, her hands still searching for gauze, bandages, and a pair of large tweezers. "I'm sorry you missed your chance with the Abnormal."

"I'm not concerned about that right now, Nikola. I'm only worried about you at the moment."

She knelt down next to him, medical supplies in her hand. "I wish I had some peroxide as I'm worried about infection, but this will have to do until we can get you back to the Sanctuary."

She gripped the quill with the tweezers and looked briefly at Nikola.

"Here we go," he whispered, shutting his eyes tightly, steeling himself for what was about to come.

A burst of white hot light exploded across his closed eyelids, and he let out a gasp of pain which quickly evolved into a low moan. The quill was thick, he knew, and its removal would take some time. He swallowed convulsively as he felt the quill slide further from his skin, the flesh struggling to fill the void left behind.

Getting stabbed hadn't been nearly as painful when he was a vampire. Back then, it had always been over quickly, his skin starting to knit together as soon as he pulled out the weapon.

He tried to focus on something other than the pain, but it was all-consuming. And then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped, the sharp bursts of pain reducing to a dull, throbbing ache.

He cautiously peeled his eyes open and glanced down at the wound as Helen deftly taped a piece of gauze over the oozing hole.

"You're still conscious." She sounded slightly surprised and a little impressed. "Just breathe deeply. It's almost over."

He felt her at his back as she patched up the exit wound. Looking down, he saw the quill resting on the ground beside him, shining with his blood. He picked it up, examined it thoughtfully, and hurled it further into the cave, leaning back against the wall tiredly.

His head lolled to the side and he found himself looking deeper into the cave. He thought he was imagining things as he saw a group of incandescent lights shining out of the darkness. He blinked several times, but the lights did not vanish. Instead, they seemed to move closer. He brought a hand to his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, when he heard Helen gasp.

"Nikola, look!"

He opened his eyes and looked in the direction she was pointing, right where he had tossed the offending quill.

Six small bodies crept out of the darkness, noses quivering and eyes shining.

Nikola looked at Helen curiously and saw that she was shaking. He tensed up until he realized that she was shaking with laughter.

"Nikola!" she cried when she could breathe again. "The Tikamit is a _mother_! She didn't want to be captured because of her babies. _That's_ why she attacked!"

"I'm so glad my pain is _amusing_ to you, Helen," Nikola said flatly, but even his eyes were shining with mirth.

"I'm just relieved," Helen said, her voice thoughtful. "And pleased. But now we'll need a bigger containment unit for the trip back to the Sanctuary. And there's no way you'll be able to make the walk back to the helicopter. But I have a contact not too far away. I think I can get a signal on the sat phone once I get out in the open. Will you be alright here with the Tikimits while I call for help?"

But Nikola's eyes were already drifting shut. With a smile, Helen pulled an emergency blanket out of her pack and gently placed it against the rock wall behind Nikola's head.

* * *

When Helen returned to the cave later, glowing with the satisfaction of another mission successfully completed, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her mouth dropped open and an incredulous laugh sprang from her lips.

Nikola was right where she had left him, fast asleep, his hair sticking up in every direction, all six Tikimits curled peacefully on his lap to keep him warm.


	6. Chapter 6

Nikola Tesla was not the world's easiest patient. In fact, he had proven to be- as so often was the case- downright difficult.

Helen watched him as he leaned against the headboard of one of the Sanctuary's guestroom beds, his arms crossed and his eyes roving restlessly.

"So, Warden Magnus," he quipped haughtily, "how was my probation hearing? Any news on when I'll be released?"

Helen rolled her eyes at him. Even in his weakened state he still had the capacity to be so damned... _annoying_. "You will be 'released,' as you so charmingly put it, when I see some evidence that you can actually stand up without my assistance."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off sharply. "You're still weak, Nikola. If you try to rush your recovery, you will only end up hurting yourself further."

"Now, Helen. You'd better be careful or I might start thinking that you don't want to me leave."

Despite his cheek, Helen knew he was desperate, itching even, to get out of bed and do something, _anything_, that would be of use. She was not normally a betting woman, but she would be willing to wager that he might have even agreed to alphabetise her entire catalogue of files, an activity he had always sworn was far too mundane for someone with his superior intellect.

As if to prove her point, he placed his hands flat on the bed and attempted to push himself up, arms straining with the effort. Finally, exasperated, he let himself flop back against the pillows, letting out a huff of air, his lips slightly parted in a toothy grimace.

"_Rest_, Nikola," Helen chided, speaking slowly as if she were lecturing a stubborn child, which, in a way, she nearly felt she were. "I know it isn't in your nature to take advice from others, but, for once in your life, do as you're told."

Nikola looked vaguely impressed and grinned at her impertinently. "Yes, _Mother_."

But even as the word left his mouth, the smile slowly slipped, morphing into an expression of disappointment. "Helen," he breathed in a rare moment of humility, "I'm truly sorry about jeopardizing your little mission the other day."

His eyes were bright and, as they locked with hers, Helen thought she saw a profound sadness lurking in their depths. So often those eyes- so intelligent and full of knowledge- danced across her face as if they knew that if they stood still for more than a second they would reveal too much, so much more than what he was willing to give.

But Nikola _had _changed. His eyes told her that much. And his thoughts told her even more.

"I just wanted to _feel _something," he said fervently, passionately. "Everything was so cold. That- that _spark_ in the source blood that's so hot it nearly scorches your soul; the electricity crackling in my fingertips. It was all gone and so... _I_ was gone." He said the last bit as if it were just occurring to him. As if the feelings had always been there, but he had never tried to articulate them.

"You weren't gone, Nikola. Just... different," Helen tried to tell him, but he continued on as if she hadn't interrupted.

"With the source blood, I knew who I was. Once it was ripped away from me, I was no one. I couldn't remember how to _live_. I only knew that I would do whatever it took to get that part of myself back. And then I found out I was magnetic. It was a cheap consolation prize, of course; mere smoke and mirrors compared to the source blood. But it was better than nothing.

This experiment, this... _security blanket_," he practically spat, "was never designed to hurt anyone. Of course it had the capacity, that was the point after all, but I never intended to use it against anyone. I needed the feel of it in my hand to help me forget just how... human I am now."

While he had been talking, Helen had eased herself onto the bed beside him and, somehow, almost unconsciously, her hand had made its way to grasp his lightly.

"Nikola, there's no need to explain yourself. I am fully aware of how difficult this has been for you. I never thought I would be saying this but, I'm proud of you. Of the way you're learning to cope with your new abilities. Perhaps because of you, the Tikimits are safe, perfectly happy, and are adjusting quite well to their new environment. The only thing I have left to worry about it you."

"Why, Helen," he said cheekily, finally retreating into his old defence mechanisms. "I didn't know you cared."

Even as she watched him, Helen could see that his strength was fading. Talking openly with her had, in fact, drained him of what little energy he had possessed. "_Someone_ has to, Nikola," she said quietly. "Now you need to rest. No more excuses. The sooner you're feeling better, the sooner we can have you mucking about in my lab."

"_My _lab," Tesla interjected.

"Although I daresay my wine cellar will be sorry to see you back at full health."

"I don't just drink the wine, Helen. I _appreciate_ it. I have a very complex palate."

"Good _night_, Nikola," Helen said firmly, smiling as she retreated to the open door and rested a hand on it. "You know how to contact me if you need anything."

"Helen," he called after her innocently, just as she started to ease the door shut. "There is _one_ more thing you can do; to expedite my healing, of course."

"And what might that be?" Helen asked, her expression a mixture of amusement and apprehension.

"You could... come and kiss it better."

As Helen let the door fall shut with a slight _click_, she knew there was no need to see Nikola's face. She could picture his toothy smirk perfectly. _Yes_, she thought to herself with a slightly exasperated smile. _Nikola Tesla is going to be just fine._

End


	7. Author's Note

I know that these "Thank You"s are a bit silly to have to read after finishing a story, but I just wanted to extend my sincere thanks to those of you who have shown your support by reading- and particularly _reviewing_- this story.

A few weeks ago, I received a lovely review from someone who seemed to have enjoyed my story, and I was reminded exactly why I publish on this site in the first place. Because of the review, I decided to extend this story which, for all intents and purposes, was seen as completed. I'm so glad that I wrote this final chapter and it is thanks to you lovely reviewers that I did so!

Even though it had been far too long since I had uploaded anything, I urge you: don't give up on me, readers! This is definitely not the last you will hear from me.

- Nikolai-Tesla


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